Jim O'Brien: It was nice to see Celtic get a thrashing

Ross County's Jim O'Brien enjoyed watching Celtic get a taste of their own medicine in the Champions League. Picture: SNS/Craig Foy

Ross County midfielder Jim O’Brien confessed he was not too unhappy to see Celtic get a taste of their own medicine in midweek.

But O’Brien expects his former club to be fully recovered from their Champions League blow when they host County on Saturday.

Brendan Rodgers’ side were on the end of the sort of thrashing they have regularly handed out during a 54-game unbeaten domestic run when they were beaten 5-0 at home to Paris St Germain.

O’Brien said: “I said that to my friends. I am in a group chat with my friends at home and they were saying: ‘It’s not good enough, we are not getting near them’.

“And I just said: ‘Well, this is how everyone else feels when they play against Celtic’.

“It’s nice to see Celtic maybe getting a little taste of that and realising how everyone else feels.

“But they will want a reaction this week. I don’t think their manager has had to come out and say much before because it’s all been positive, so they will definitely be looking for a reaction.”

Rodgers claimed Celtic were too passive and O’Brien expects them to come out fighting when they return to Ladbrokes Premiership duty.

“The only thing is we hope they are maybe a little bit tired and their energy levels are down, but they have lads that never played on Tuesday with good enough quality,” the 29-year-old said.

“They could throw a couple of kids in from the under-19 game they played at Dumbarton the other night as well and still have good quality.

“They will be hurting as well, they will be wanting a positive result and a reaction to the first-half performance on Tuesday night.”

O’Brien is back in the squad after missing the draw against Partick Thistle with the hamstring problem which had troubled him in each of County’s previous two matches.

The former Motherwell, Barnsley and Coventry player feels he is still catching up after a pre-season spent training with the Shrewsbury youth team before negotiating his move north.

“It’s been a bit stop-start but I am looking to get a run of games now and get some results,” he added. “But as long as I stay fit I will be happy.”

Meanwhile, Brendan Rodgers wants a response against Ross County.

The Hoops’ comprehensive 5-0 defeat to star-studded Paris St Germain in their Champions League opener on Tuesday was their heaviest ever at home in a European competition.

The Scottish champions, however, remain unbeaten on the domestic front since May 2016, and Rodgers wants to get back to winning ways in the Ladbrokes Premiership clash against the Staggies at Celtic Park.

“Your professional pride hurts,” said the Northern Irishman, referring to the PSG game.

“We are used to winning games and we are used to, I suppose, inflicting that type of performance on opponents.

“That is a set-back against one of the great teams but the beauty is that you learn from that, that is key and we have always shown that.

“The players were great in training and very focused on their next game.

“You are always preparing for the next game in football. You have a disappointment but very quickly you are on to your next game.

“Ross County will be a difficult game, a different challenge for us.

“But we go into it with the same ideas, to look to win the game.

“It is still very early on in the season but we have started the league campaign very well and we want it to continue.”